Cristiona hails from Foxford, County Mayo, where she is also currently residing, though it took a while for her to end up back in her hometown. After completing school in Foxford, she studied Marketing and Design in Dublin, and then went down an unexpected career path. Cristiona worked with Greenpeace for a number of years, and events that took place on the high seas would change her life forever. While with Greenpeace she worked as a chef, and toured the world, going as far as Japan, Canada and all parts of Europe, spending up to sixty days at sea at a time. On board she met her husband, and the pair soon took their new life back to Ireland, and settled in Waterford. It turned out that they made a wonderful team, setting up their own food and catering company, which at its peak employed thirty-five people.

“We loved our business,” says Cristiona, “but we were really working around the clock.” The arrival of new family members caused a shift in priority, but as is evidenced by the glow in Cristiona’s face every time her children are mentioned, it was a welcome one. “After almost five years we decided to sell up and move back home,” she says.

By this time Cristiona had given birth to her first son Connor, now age six, and a few years after his birth, she wanted to set up something small that she could run from home and work around the children’s hours. Connor was joined by baby sister Roisin now age two and a small while later Blackberryvillage.ie was born.

One of the first of its kind in Ireland, Blackberryvillage.ie sells not just baby stuff, but baby stuff for the playful and fashion conscious who want something that bit more unique. “I’ve chosen products that are a bit different,” she says, “handmade, fair trade, craft items, things that are fun and funky.” More unusual items include traditional, wooden toys at Christmas; which according to Cristiona have proven extremely popular. She highlights the importance of creating your own niche when establishing a business; Blackberryvillage.ie also provides a service that changes your photos into pop art prints, which has really caught on with parents visiting the site. Cristiona introduced cloth nappies this year, which she points out, are not only environmentally friendly, but highly cost effective as well.

Cristiona notes that when she first set up Blackberryvillage.ie she wanted it to be a “one woman show,” to cut down the stress of having to monitor someone else, and to basically have a business that didn’t depend on it’s employees. Though as she admits, Blackberryvillage.ie is at the stage where hiring someone to take off some of the pressure would be wise.

Were she not already busy enough with one online business, last year Cristiona and her husband set up another site that they can run partially from the comfort of their own home. Checkmate.ie evolved gradually as a result of the success of Blackberryvillage.ie and longtime time networking, and has progressed in leaps and bounds since its creation just over a year ago. Based on software created by a woman called Aileen Hanon called ‘Sort My Books,’ Checkmate.ie provides a comprehensive bookkeeping services and classes alongside a wide range of other business informatics including design, editing and organization. Unlike Blackberryvillage.ie, Checkmate.ie employs a few trainers that help out in teaching the bookkeeping classes. In keeping with the teamwork that made their first business so successful, Cristiona’s husband provided the original designs for the website, and now works part time with her in Checkmate.ie’s classes, which take place in Dublin, Sligo Leitrim, Roscommon, Waterford, concentrating on bookkeeping and web design.

Having previously spoken to women who would like nothing less than to work with their husbands, Cristiona sees it differently, “well we met at work,” she reminds me, “we always knew each other as work colleagues, so that makes it easier, we do have to remember not to talk about work when we’re alone though!”

Further support in her business endeavors comes from a place that all women thinking of getting a start or building their businesses should go. IrishBusinessWomen.ie, or IBW as it is affectionately known, is a completely free message board service that allows women to post questions or comments, and network on their own terms. As one of the first members of IBW, Cristiona calls in the “canteen” or the “tearoom for the modern woman,” and says that an instrumental resource for women to not only network, but to make friends and give each other useful advice. “It’s a great way to share information and learn from each other,” says Cristiona, “and it was very visionary of the founder Frank Fuller to put together a website like this one.”

Internet based work is obviously working well for Cristiona, and she would recommend it to other mothers, “especially in rural areas,” she says, “Because it can be really expensive and really difficult to get child-care.” Though she does note that in the Internet business, like any other commercial business, there is a necessity to set yourself apart from the rest of the playing field, and make sure you are providing unique items or unique services.

For as calm as her demeanor appears on the surface, Cristiona says that biggest challenges that she faced in starting and running the business is time management. “I now wear lots of different hats,” she giggles, “my mammy hat, my Blackberryvillage.ie hat...I just try not to mix them, like I don’t try to sent the odd email when I am with the kids, it has to be one thing at a time.” To unwind, she steps back away from work and the frantic activity that comes with it, choosing to snuggle with her kids, go for walks or a cycle, read books, and of course go on dates with her hubby.

Having been in Internet based work for over two years now, Cristiona’s websites have been excellently received and it only seems to be going onwards and upwards, and she plans to expand both businesses over the coming years. Cristiona is every inch the modern businesswoman yet in another way every part the loving mum and wife, and a true example of a woman’s multi-tasking skills at their best.

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